On December 1, North Korean soldiers began a series of winter exercises and maneuvers. One of the elements are long marches. During them, the soldiers cover approximately 10 km of mountainous terrain, carrying up to 20 kg of equipment, including weapons. As we wrote, recently the temperature in North Korea has reached as much as -31 degrees Celsius. The problem is that due to weekly intensive exercises, there are more and more cases of soldiers falling from exhaustion, unable to withstand the physical load.
One of the anonymous interlocutors of the Daily NK website described the brutal training that soldiers from the V Corps, stationed in Kangwon province, right next to the demilitarized zone, undergo. According to him, officers are trying to strengthen the physical and mental endurance of soldiers. However, they do not show any concern for their health. As a result, in many cases soldiers end up in hospital.
“Soldiers who fall need immediate medical attention. Instead, they are kicked and insulted by officers who accuse them of malingering,” an anonymous source told Daily NK.
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North Korean army in numbers
On paper, the North Korean military looks impressive. Kim Jong Un has 1.2 million soldiers under arms for 24.6 million citizens. However, a significant part of them is directed to non-military tasks. The regime sends soldiers, among others. for construction, infrastructure and other non-military duties. Unfortunately, they do not receive an appropriately caloric meal and are treated as free state labor.
“When these tasks are over, they should be given a chance to rest and recuperate. But instead, they are immediately sent to intense training that many cannot endure,” a source told Daily NK.
